In The Band
by shadowmancer711
Summary: Just an alternate universe random idea I had a long time ago and decided to publish. This is a story involving Roxas ending up in a band with Axel, Demyx, and Zexion. AkuRoku and Zemyx will be present in later chapters. Teen for safety for now.


Chapter 1: The Gig

Roxas sighed. 'How did I get dragged here?' he wondered. Olette had insisted in going to a club that night, and sure enough, she dragged her three friends along. Hayner wasn't complaining: the two had finally stopped denying the obvious and gotten together. Pence was happy to join the happy couple on the night out, but Roxas was much more keen on lying in bed and never moving again.

The club was dark, the stage at one end being the only source of light. The center of the floor, which was normally used as a dance floor, was now covered in tables and chairs; the show had been sold out, and every bit of space was needed. The sides of the club were raised slightly from the dance floor, and contained twice the number of chairs and tables they usually did. There was a man working his way around the club, placing a candle on each table and lighting it, giving the entire club a slight glow.

"Come on Roxas, smile," Olette said. "This is going to be great, I promise." The brunette grinned and squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "Who did you say was playing tonight, Hayner?"

The blonde in question shrugged. "They're called 'The Organization.' I haven't heard too much about them," he said. "All I know is that they're supposed to be really good." Roxas rolled his eyes, and his best friend sighed. "Try smiling man. It might be good for ya."

Shrugging, Roxas turned his eyes to the stage, where the band was partially set up. Some guy with a hairstyle that belonged somewhere several decades in the past was tuning his guitar, while a much shorter male was carrying parts of a drum set. His silvery-blue hair cascaded over his right eye like a waterfall, and Roxas wondered how he could possibly play drums with that in the way. 'What, no bass?' he mentally asked himself. That was when he noticed him. My god, that _hair_. Was hair even supposed to be that red? Was _red_ even supposed to be that red? As if he wasn't noticeable enough, the redhead in question was easily over six feet in height, and far skinnier than anyone that height should be, even though his slim waist perfectly showed off his angular hips. It was all Roxas could to keep his jaw off the floor.

A tug on his shirt shook him out of his stupor. "Come on Roxas, let's grab a table by the dance floor," Olette said, having trouble keeping her own eyes off the men on stage, much to Hayner's chagrin.

Roxas let himself be dragged over to the table and took a seat facing the stage. If nothing else, the lack of sleep was well worth the eye candy. The redhead had him transfixed. Even the way he moved was incredible: all of his movements were incredibly graceful. His long slender fingers tuned his black bass, then set it back on its stand. He looked up, and Roxas caught a glimpse of his eyes. _Woah._ Those were some shade of green. And those tattoos… After a while, he noticed his friends staring at him, and he grinned sheepishly before rejoining their conversation.

Shortly after, the house lights grew dim, and the stage lights came on. The blonde with the crazy hairstyle stepped up to the mic, an enormous grin on his face. "Evening ladies and gents," he said, his very presence drawing the crowd in. "We're The Organization, and we thought we'd open up with a little instrumental song to give you a little Rush." Most of the crowd caught the pun and laughed, but the blonde on stage was laughing the loudest. The drummer with the waterfall-hair smiled slightly, and the redhead rolled his eyes. There was a momentary pause, and suddenly the song began: YYZ by Rush.

Roxas was practically on the edge of his seat. This definitely beat a night of passing out. Not only was the eye candy particularly sweet, they were playing Roxas's favorite band. He knew the song by heart, and was eagerly awaiting the bass solo towards the middle of the song. The redhead stepped up as the solo began, his fingers never faltering for a second. The smile on his face showed a total understanding of what he was doing. Every note, every movement he made, he was damn sure of. Roxas watched in awe as the solo ended and the bassist stepped back.

Then the guitar solo began, and Roxas was equally impressed, but not nearly as enthralled. He was rather surprised at the drummer's ability to play; even ignoring the hair, those drum lines were next to impossible, but the guy nailed all of them. The song drew to an explosive close, and the crowd erupted. The guitarist smiled at his band mates, and then at the crowd. "Seems good music isn't totally lost yet after all," he said with a smirk. "Next up is something by Alice in Chains. Enjoy." As soon as the last word left his mouth, the opening chords began.

'Man in the Box,' Roxas thought. 'Good choice.' The musical talent these guys possessed was incredible. Then suddenly, as the chorus hit, and the lead guitarist wailed out the main line, the bassist sang backup, and Roxas nearly fell out of his chair. '_DAMN _can he sing…' he thought to himself. His eyes didn't leave the emerald green orbs that stared levelly out at the crowd for the rest of the song. At its end, he applauded with the rest of the crowd, a smile spreading across his face.

Before the crowd died down, emerald eyes looked in his direction and locked onto his. The connection left a startled look on the blonde's face, while the redhead allowed a casual smile spread over his tattooed cheeks. Roxas watched, shock and terror written across his face, as the object of his attention stepped over to the guitarist and mumbled something in his ear that made them both grin. Stepping back to the mic, the guitar player asked the crowd, "You guys loving this or what?" The roar in response brought a gleam to the blonde's eye. "Good! Now, we're gonna let you guys in on a secret. Playing in this club tonight was part of a plan my buddy Axel here thought of. See, we've been hunting down someone to be our lead singer, and so far, no one's landed the gig. Might be 'cuz we love my voice too much-" The crowd chuckled, and his band mates rolled their eyes, "but maybe we just haven't found what we're looking for. So, a few times tonight, we're callin' one of you guys or girls on stage, and you'll get the chance. If you pass the test, you got the job. Sound good?" This time, the roar was almost deafening. "Alright! Next up, a little Foo Fighters."

The next song began, which turned out to be Everlong, and Roxas turned back to his friends, wondering what that redhead, Axel, had said. "Roxas, you totally need to go up there," Olette said, her smile eager.

"Totally man, we gotta get you up there," Hayner agreed, lacing his fingers with his girlfriend's.

"You do have a pretty kickass voice, Roxas," Pence chimed in.

"Guys, I can't get up there and just sing in front of all these people," Roxas said, his tone betraying how nervous he was. "Besides, what the hell would I sing?"

Olette immediately responded, "Limelight," and the rest of the table nodded in agreement.

Roxas shook his head. "Guys, I really don't think I could…"

Whatever they said next was lost in applause as the song ended, and Roxas turned back to the stage. What he didn't expect, however, were those piercing green eyes back on him. He swallowed hard, shocked to see that same smile crawling its way across Axel's face.

The connection of green to blue didn't end until the blonde, whose name he revealed to be Demyx, announced that he would be singing backup on the next song, and that Axel would be singing lead. This caused Roxas to lean even further out of his seat.

Axel stepped up to the mic, bass in his apparently capable hands, and he smirked at the crowd. "No hogging the mic for Demyx tonight," he said, which caused the crowd to chuckle. "Yeah, only reason I took lead for this one was so I wouldn't kill my voice on the backup." More chuckling. "Anyway, I'm not really one for introductions, so this one's by 3 Doors Down.

The song started out with a slow guitar intro, and suddenly exploded into rhythm, and Axel's voice soon washed over the crowd. 'Even his voice is sexy,' Roxas thought. The song was incredible, and the crowd's applause reflected it. Axel smirked again, then said, "That's the last song you'll hear me on lead. Got it memorized?" He stepped back to his original position, while Demyx took up the mic again. "Let's get one of you guys up here already. Enough of hearing us belt it out. So, who will it be?" he asked, a sly smile on his face. "Zexion, drum roll please. "

Part of Roxas wished he was picked, but some blonde girl by the front was chosen. She was wearing a short white skirt and a top to match, and she winked at Axel as soon as she took up her place by the mic. Roxas rolled his eyes, and chuckled as the redhead shook his head as soon as the girl had turned away. Demyx, however, didn't seem to notice, and had the girl introduce herself. When asked which song she wanted to sing, she replied with That's What You Get by Paramore. Roxas did his best not to burst out laughing when Axel visibly cringed. 'Could be worse,' Roxas thought.

Demyx thought this was hilarious, and announced to the crowd that they'd learned to play it for his friend's party one year. "Take it away boys," he said, chuckling. The song began, and somehow, they managed to play it incredibly well. The girl sounded pretty good, shockingly, and Roxas actually found himself tapping along to the beat. He also tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest, as he found those green eyes locked back onto his blue ones. Throughout the song, they never broke eye contact, and Roxas swore he saw the guy wink. 'There's no way he'd have any interest in me anyway,' he thought, trying to rationalize against the idea.

The song ended, and the girl left the stage, not without a backward glance at the redhead, who didn't bother looking at her, tuning his bass as his excuse. The mic in Demyx's hands again, he said, "Well, enough of other people's stuff. We're gonna play some of ours, then give one more of you a shot and call it a night." There was an audible groan, and the blonde chuckled. "Come on guys, aren't you sick of us yet?" There was a resounding, "NO!" which sent the band into near hysterics. "Alright, alright," Demyx choked out. "If we like the person we pick, we'll play one last song with them singing. Sound good?" The cheering this time was much more to the affirmative, so the blond smiled, and started the next song.

Roxas was lost in thought, barely aware of the songs they were playing. He was only conscious of the fact that Axel had been looking at him. At _him_. 'Why me?' he wondered. He was dimly aware of the next song being their last before they picked someone new.

"Come on Roxas, you gotta at least try," Olette said, starting up the same argument.

"Olette…" Roxas started, then realized that Demyx was back on the mic: the song was over, and they were going to pick another "victim."

"Well, Axel," Demyx said into the microphone, "Since this was your idea, why don't you pick our last 'contestant?'" Axel flashed a wicked grin at the crowd, his gaze passing over all of them, lingering on Roxas and his table. He set his bass back on its stand and hopped off the stage, although it was more of a step, considering his height.

"Who to choose?" he said out loud, and was bombarded by hands, each person begging to go on stage. He wound his way around the room, humming to himself. Roxas held his breath as the redhead passed right by his table, then exhaled, almost disappointed. Then he noticed Axel stop, and turn back towards him. Roxas's breath hitched. 'Oh god,' he thought to himself. "Blondie," Axel said softly. "Wanna help us out?"

Emerald green met cerulean blue. "S-sure," Roxas stuttered out, which made Axel smirk.

"Come on then," the redhead said, offering a hand to help the blonde out of his chair. Roxas took it, blushing profusely, and followed the bassist back to the stage. He could feel the stares on his back, but it wasn't the audience he was worried about. As Axel took up his bass again and Roxas approached the mic, he realized it was _his_ stare that was putting the butterflies in his stomach. Swallowing hard, he thought, 'Well, here goes nothing…'

"So," Demyx said, his smirk barely concealed. "What's your name, Blondie?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk," he said, before he could stop himself. The crowd erupted into laughter. Blushing slightly, he chuckled, and said, "It's Roxas."

Demyx was laughing harder than the entire crowd. Axel was smirking, his emerald eyes never leaving Roxas. Even the drummer, Zexion, had a smile on his face, even if his silvery hair hid half of it. "A feisty one!" Demyx said through fits of laughter. "I like you already Roxas. So what are we backing you up on tonight?"

Roxas looked out into the crowd, catching the stares of his friends, who all flashed him a smile. "Limelight," he said simply, "by Rush."

Axel's eyebrows rose slightly, a smirk forming on his face. "Huh," he said. "I guess some people really still have good taste in music after all."

Demyx's smirk became even more apparent. "Well, well, well," he said, "A man after Axel's heart. Nice choice Roxas. We definitely know this one, thanks to Axel's obsession." The redhead glared at the guitarist, who chuckled loudly. "Well, let's make this one a good one boys."

Roxas's heart was hammering in his chest as Demyx began the opening guitar riff. He closed his eyes, and took the mic in his hand trying desperately to keep his breathing even. The drums and bass kicked in, and he realized that they sounded just like the original recording. 'As long as I don't see him staring at me, I can do this,' he thought. He took a deep breath, and began to sing.

"Living on a lighted stage

Approaches the unreal

For those who think and feel

In touch with some reality

Beyond the gilded cage

Cast in this unlikely role

Ill equipped to act

With insufficient tact

One must put up barriers

To keep oneself intact

Living in the limelight

The universal dream

For those who wish to seem

Those who wish to be

Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination

The real relation

The underlying theme"

Roxas found himself enjoying it. He was lost in his favorite song, and his only thought was to continue singing. He was so wrapped up in the lyrics and melody that he didn't notice the raised eyebrows and excited smiles being shared by Axel and Demyx behind him. The next verse began, and Roxas continued.

"Living in a fish-eye lens

Caught in the camera eye

I have no heart to lie

I can't pretend a stranger

Is a long awaited friend

All the world's indeed a stage

And we are merely players

Performers and portrayers

Each another's audience

Outside the gilded cage

Living in the limelight

The universal dream

For those who wish to seem

Those who wish to be

Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination

The real relation

The underlying theme"

Roxas stepped back as the guitar solo began. Demyx stepped forward, and Axel stepped up next to him. The two played their respective parts, and stepped to the side as Roxas took his place next to them to sing the final chorus.

"Living in the limelight

The universal dream

For those who wish to seem

Those who wish to be

Must put aside the alienation

Get on with the fascination

The real relation

The underlying theme

No relation

The underlying theme"

The song drew to a close after another guitar and bass duet, and Zexion ended it through an explosive drum solo. The entire crowd cheered louder than they had throughout the night. Roxas couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. Demyx took the mic as soon as Roxas put it back on the stand. "Now _that_ was a performance!" he said, eliciting another cheer from the crowd. "I knew there had to be a reason I liked you from the start. Nice choice Axel."

The redhead shrugged, a smirk still plastered in his tattooed cheeks. "Call it a hunch," he said, his emerald eyes meeting Roxas's blue ones, causing the blond to blush. "I know what I'm lookin' for. Got it memorized?" He tapped his temple with two fingers, before turning back to the crowd.

Demyx laughed. "Well, hard to argue with that logic," he said with a grin, causing the crowd to cheer again. "So Roxas, you just showed us all you're the singer we want. It's up to you now. You wanna come with us?"

Roxas glanced back at his friends' table. They all smiled at him, giving him nods and thumbs-up. He turned back to Demyx, and nodded. "Sure," he said, smiling widely. "I'm in."

The smirk on Axel's face widened. "Welcome to the band, blondie," he said which caused a blush to rise in Roxas's cheeks.

Demyx cheered, and the crowd responded with a cheer of their own. "The search is over!" he said chuckling. "So Roxas, we did promise them one last song. You know the lyrics for DOA by the Foo Fighters?" Roxas nodded, and Demyx's smile widened. "Alright, then let's do it!"

The guitar riff started, and Roxas took up the mic again. They played through the song, and by the end, the entire crowd was on their feet. Demyx bowed, then waved a hand at the rest of the band. Zexion stood up from his set and bowed, while Axel smirked and inclined his head. He then shoved Roxas up to the front. "Go on, lead singer," he said with a grin. "Take your first bow."

Roxas blushed, but bowed in front of the crowd, eliciting a huge cheer. He could hear his friends whistling and chanting his name. 'I'm in the band,' he thought excitedly. 'I'll have to remember to thank Olette later.'

Stepping forward, Demyx took up the mic. "Well folks, this has been one hell of a night," he said, once the crowd died down. "We hope you all enjoyed this as much as we all did. We'll be back this time next month, so keep your calendars clear. Before we go, let's get one more hand for our new singer: Roxas!"

The crowd roared, but Roxas was only aware of one sound in the room; Axel smiled, then said, "Welcome to the Organization." Butterflies sprung up in Roxas's stomach. He couldn't force his mouth to cooperate, so he settled for a small smile and a nod.


End file.
